CHAPTER 5

RESEARCH (noun) - The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

"Oh God, why can't I get this?" Emma groaned in frustration as she pushed the tome in front of her away in disgust.

Hook looked up from the book he was reading and winced slightly as the blonde sitting opposite him bent forward then let her head drop onto the library table with a resounding thump.

"You will, love," he reassured confidently, "It just takes a little time."

"No, I won't. It's driving me insane," came the muffled but still obviously petulant voice of the Saviour.

The pirate stared at her head for a moment admiring the mass of blonde hair that fell across the table. What he wouldn't give to be allowed to touch it again, to feel the soft silkiness under his fingertips once more. He was almost tempted to reach out when another moan of discontent suddenly arose from the troubled woman. With a little sigh he closed his book then leaned forward.

"Would you like me to help you?" he offered.

Emma lifted her head and regarded him uncertainly.

"You read Elvish?" she queried dubiously.

"Aye," he verified with a nod. When she continued to eye him suspiciously he frowned and added in an affronted tone, "Not all the time I stayed aboard ship was spent solely plotting my revenge, Swan, I did do other things and that included extensive reading."

Emma sat up and arched a brow as she looked at him challengingly.

"And here I thought it was all wine, women and song with you," she stated dryly.

"Well, I can't deny singing the odd shanty or two but unfortunately both the wine and women weren't very easy to come by while I was in Neverland," the pirate replied with a rueful smile.

Emma's eyes widened at the revelation. She'd never really thought about it before but once he'd said it, she realised the truth of his words…although there was one exception to that rule.

"Not even Tink?" she asked as she pulled her tome back and smoothed down a barely creased page in an attempt at nonchalance.

Hook's eyebrows quirked up at her enquiry and his smile bloomed into a grin.

"Do I detect and note of jealousy there, Swan?" he goaded lightly.

"No," she refuted quickly. Too quickly. She shot him an irritated glance then bent her head again in pretence of studying the undecipherable Elvish writing.

The pirate noted the faint flush that coloured her cheekbones and felt his heart contract a little at the sudden knowledge that the thought of him with another woman apparently bothered her. If she were of lesser importance to him, he might well have rejoiced in the knowledge and possibly even left her wondering as to whether he'd ever had a dalliance with the green fairy, but as she was the woman he loved more than life…

"No, Emma, not even Tinkerbell," he assured her softly.

The blonde slowly looked up at him again and met his blue gaze, searching for the truth which he was more than happy for her to see. Relief mixed in with a possessive self-satisfaction she'd never known before settled in her gut and warmed her entire body.

"Good," she muttered under her breath as she broke eye contact and went back to perusing her book.

Hook bit back a smile and watched her for a moment then got up and walked around the table. She tried her best to ignore him but when he sat down beside her and grabbed a piece of paper and pen, curiosity got the better of her and she glanced over at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he began drawing.

"Helping you as I said I would," he answered absently, concentrating on his task at hand.

Emma soon recognised his artwork as some of the images from her book and leaned in closer fascinated by his flawless penmanship.

"Here; Elvish is really very simple when you learn these basic words first," he explained, pushing the neatly written upon sheet towards her. He pointed to a circular shape and added, "Let's start with this one."

The pirate spent the next hour teaching her words and gradually Emma began to understand the language a little more. Enough even, to eventually read a simple sentence from the spellbook.

"That's excellent, Swan," Hook praised with an appreciative grin when she'd finished.

"Finally! I thought I'd never get it," she exclaimed, beaming in pleasure at what she'd achieved.

On a whim she raised her hand with palm faced towards the pirate and looked at him expectantly. Hook eyed first her hand, then her, then her hand again with an expression of bewilderment.

"Hello?" he ventured hesitantly as he too held up his hand then waved.

Emma laughed and shook her head.

"No, if someone holds his or her hand up to you like this, you slap it," she explained.

"For what purpose?" he questioned in bemusement.

"It's to celebrate when you win or do well at something. It's kind of like a…custom we have here." Still grinning, she grabbed his wrist then firmly slapped her hand against his, "See?"

"Aye," he replied his gaze straying to where she still held his wrist.

Emma felt his pulse suddenly begin to race under her fingers and her grin faded as she reflexively began to gently rub her thumb over the erratic beat in a soothing motion. It hadn't escaped her notice that he had been the one to help her again. She was beginning to rely on him more and more but instead of fearing it like she used to, just as with her magic, she was embracing her feelings, embracing him more and more as well.

"Thank you, Killian," she blurted out suddenly.

He looked back at her in surprise and smiled. With one swift flick of his wrist, he manoeuvred his arm out of her grasp and ended up clasping her hand in his instead.

"You're welcome, Emma," he replied before leaning down and placing a gentle, lingering kiss just above her knuckles.

The blonde drew in a sharp breath at his actions, the blatantly romantic gesture causing her heart to do crazy things within her chest as she watched his lips caressing her hand.

"Since you shared one of your customs, I thought it appropriate that I impart one of my own," he clarified in a low tone after he pulled back.

"I think out of the two, I prefer yours," Emma murmured as she tried to work some moisture back into her now dry mouth.

Hook's laugh was cut off by the sudden sound of a door opening and Belle's cheerful voice carrying through the library as she called out a greeting to her friends.

Emma's eyes widened in shock and she quickly pulled her hand out of his grasp before looking back down at book of spells she was supposed to be learning. Hook grimaced slightly at her withdrawal then turned away and reached across the table to grab his own leather bound volume. He opened it just as the beauty entered the room and looked up at her with a self-conscious smile.

"Hey guys, I brought some hot chocolate," she announced, placing three paper cups full of the steaming beverage down on the middle of the table, "How's the research going?"

"Not too good," the pirate confessed apologetically, "I have yet to find anything useful that could help defeat Zelena."

Belle glanced down at his book then back up at him with a slight frown. Her gaze flew to Emma, who was apparently engrossed in learning her Elvish, then back to Hook again and she pursed her lips in order to hold back a smile.

"Maybe you'd have better luck if your book wasn't upside down," she pointed out helpfully.

Belle watched in satisfaction as the pirate's eyes widened fractionally and the telltale heat of embarrassment crawled up his face to settle high on his cheekbones.

"Aye," he agreed, raising his hand to scratch just behind his ear in yet another gesture that was indicative of his discomfort, "You're probably right."

He turned his book and doggedly spent the rest of the evening researching. It might not have been the most adventurous time of his life but he was with Emma so he was content.

And that night after he'd walked her back to her room and they parted with a promise to meet the next day, he allowed himself to reflect on the feel of her skin beneath his lips.

Now it seemed as though she were finally opening up to him, he hoped it was something he'd do far more of in the future.

END CHAPTER 5